National Basketball Association

Houston Rockets: What Can We Expect From James Harden?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Even with James Harden as the all-time point guard, the Houston Rockets’ offense won’t change that much.

Last year, James Harden averaged 29.0 points and 7.5 assists per game while posting an effective field goal percentage of 51.2. Harden also had an offensive box plus/minus of 7.1.

He was the center of the Houston Rockets offense and will continue to be that given the type of player he is. Now Harden will see more of the ball than ever after Houston Rockets Media Day.

According to head coach Mike D’Antoni, James Harden will now be the full-time point guard for the Rockets.

Now that he has been given the full reins of the offense, we may be in for the most explosive offensive season of Harden yet. Although his turnover percentage was at a career high last year (15.9), the Rockets need the ball in his hands to be good.

But that also raises questions about the roles of the actual point guards on the team. For guys like Patrick Beverley and Pablo Prigioni, Harden at the point guard will likely change their roles — especially Beverley, who could slide over to the shooting guard position.

The good thing about Beverley is that he does not need the ball in his hands to be effective. His primary strengths are on defense and three-point shooting (he shot a career high 40 percent from deep last year). With Beverley guarding the opposing team’s best guard, Harden can focus on the offensive end like he usually does.

With Harden also handling the ball up the court, it will also help the Houston Rockets jump into their offensive sets quicker. Usually, the ball touches Harden’s hands at least once in a typical Rockets possession.

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Having him with the ball in his hands to start with will help speed things up, something that D’Antoni wants. His coaching style is for his offenses to be quick-hitting and high scoring. The Rockets had a Pace factor of 100.1 last year, good for seventh highest in the league. Under D’Antoni, look for Houston to have an even higher Pace factor next season.

But Harden will also have to keep his teammates involved in the offense. Last season, the second highest scorer on the team was Trevor Ariza, who averaged 12.7 points per game. That was about 17 points per game less than Harden’s scoring average.

Getting his teammates involved should be a priority for Harden. Last year he had an assist percentage of 35.4 percent, the highest of his career, and he has to keep that up. He is the best offensive player on the court for Houston and has to create offense for himself and others.

With Dwight Howard out of the picture, Harden will likely be the only Rocket that will command the ball. Last year the bickering between both caused problems both on and off the court. Now it’s Harden’s team once and for all. The Rockets have given him a very offensive-minded coach and have put shooters all around him to help spread the floor. Now it is his time to shine.

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